First Look: Extra yellow pixel isn't worth extra dough

First Look: Extra yellow pixel isn't worth extra dough

2:58 /
December 11, 2012

Since they don't come with improved picture quality, the extra features of the Sharp LC-LE847U series aren't worth the extra money it demands.

-Hi, I'm David Katzmaier from CNET standing with the Sharp LC-847U series.
This is the highest end 60 and 70-inch TVs that Sharp makes.
This is the 60-inch model, and does have Sharp Quattron technology as well as 240 hertz and 3D, talk about both of those in a little bit, but first we look at the styling of the set.
Around the edge, you'll find a really thin bezel.
It's actually made of metal, which is a step from the other plastic bezels that we find on these TVs.
It's actually really nice minimalist look.
We really like that also this TV has a swivel stand that's not available on the 70-inch version, however.
I also appreciate the stand's nice sort of textured look here, which is again a departure from the standard glossy black you'll find in most TV stands.
I mentioned Sharp's Quattron technology that has a 4th yellow subpixel to the standard red, green, and blue subpixel arrangement used on most TVs.
It really doesn't affect picture quality, however, when you adjust the TV properly.
So, I consider Quattron kind of a wash on this television.
Like most active 3D TVs, the Sharp does not include the requisite 3D glass.
Those are about 50 bucks a piece and you can't use universal 3D glasses from other manufacturers because Sharp is not subscribed to that standard, yet.
Other features on the sharp include a Smart TV suite that offers a good selection, although not the very best.
It does on this Amazon instant, although Sharp did a couple of audio services including Pandora.
There's also a web browser on this TV, so it does have a pretty complete Sharp smart TV system.
Picture settings are also extensive that includes a full color management system as well as
10-point grayscale control and gamma.
So, it's right up there with the very best in that category.
I also like Sharp's excellent help selection, which includes an on-screen manual as well as life help feature if you get lost among the TV's many options.
Around back, you'll find a complete selection of 4 HDMI inputs, a component video input.
There's also a PC input and a pair of USB port, so all told, you can pretty much connect anything you want to this television.
While the styling and feature set are highlights on the 847U, one the low lights is its picture quality.
This TVs picture isn't any better than--
actually a lot worse than some of the other large screen LED TVs we've tested.
That includes Sharp's much less expensive 640U series.
Black levels are the main weakness on this set.
The Sharp can't deliver the nice deep inky blacks that we've seen in a lot of TVs at this level.
Color accuracy was solid in bright areas, although a little bit blue, but that blue crept in significantly in the darker areas too.
The set was also unable to produce the 1080p/24 cadence, which film box really appreciates, so all told the 2D picture quality wasn't quite there.
One highlight, however, was this bright room picture quality.
The TV did reject ambient light relatively well.
In terms of 3D, the 847 didn't perform all that much better than in 2D.
We saw plenty of crosstalk and image was actually a little bit dimmer than we expected for an LED TV.
So, considering both 2D and 3D, the 847U wasn't among our favorite performers in high-end LED TVs this year.
That's a quick look at Sharp's best 2012 60 and 70-inch television, the LC-LE847U.
I'm David Katzmaier for CNET.